Ruth Coppinger (Dublin West, Solidarity)
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42. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade his views on the change in the law in Israel defining the state as a Jewish one and changing the official status of the Arabic language. [35449/18]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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I have previously expressed my concerns about the passing of the Nation State Law in Israel. Much of the Law is declaratory in nature, and it remains to be seen how much direct impact it will have in practice. However, even on a symbolic level, it risks marginalising Israeli citizens who are not Jewish, in particular the 20% of Israeli citizens who identify as Arab or Palestinian. It sends worrying signals about their status and their right to equality in the country which is their home. Some of these Israelis have already expressed fears that the new law, which has the status of a Basic Law, may be a starting point for discrimination against minorities within Israel. There have been public demonstrations in Israel to express concerns about this Law.

The Israeli Declaration of Independence stated that Israel will ensure complete equality of social and political rights to all its inhabitants irrespective of religion, race or sex. For those Israelis whose first language is Arabic, the official status which that language has hitherto had is symbolically important of their status as equal citizens, as well as being important from a practical perspective. This new law sets out to privilege Jewish communities, and I know that many Israelis, both Arab and Jewish, have reacted with dismay to this.

A key point is that this new law states that "... the right to exercise national self-determination in the State of Israel is unique to the Jewish people". Nobody is denying the strong connection between the Jewish people and Israel. But Israel is also a home to many who are not Jewish, and this law sends a worrying signal about their rights as Israeli citizens, and the part they have to play in Israel’s democracy.

I am also particularly concerned about the references to Jewish settlement. There have been different interpretations of whether this refers to Israel only, or also to the West Bank, but the ambiguity is very unhelpful in a volatile situation. The Government is wholly opposed to the construction of settlements in the occupied Palestinian territory. This language is also extremely worrying in the context of a number of pieces of legislation being proposed, and already passed, by the Knesset, which blur the lines between Israel and the West Bank.

As I said, it remains to be seen what this will mean in practice. My Department has signalled our concerns to the Israeli Embassy here, and continues to monitor the situation closely.